EL SEGUNDO HERALD February 22, 2018 Page 5
Kings Make History in Buffalo,
but Will They Even Make the
Playoffs This Year?
By Adam Serrao
With no disrespect to the people of Buffalo,
who could possibly want to travel there in
the month of February? Not many are brave
enough to battle the 20-degree weather, even
if you’re used to playing a professional sport
on a slab of ice. The Los Angeles Kings
were forced into Buffalo last Saturday and
instead of simply laying down their sticks,
did something that they hadn’t done in the
last 15 years. They won. Now, with just over
20 games remaining in the regular season, the
only question left to be answered is whether
or not the team will play well enough to make
it into this year’s postseason.
Anze Kopitar and rookie Michael Amadio
each scored twice for the Kings last weekend
when the team acquired its first victory in Buffalo
since Feb. 21, 2003. Maybe Amadio is the
good luck charm that changed L.A.’s fate once
and for all. Or maybe it was the play of goalie
Jonathan Quick, who made 33 saves for Los
Angeles on the way to a 4-2 victory against
the Sabres at KeyBank Stadium. “I don’t think
we were worried about the 15-year drought in
here,” Kopitar explained after the game. “We had
a three-game slide that we certainly wanted to
stop. I thought today we came ready to play.”
The Kings can get excited about that victory
all that they want to, but it’s important
to remember that it came on the heels of a
three-game losing streak for Los Angeles. That
same losing streak saw the Kings lose to two
different elite teams who go by the names of
the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh
Penguins. Now is the time of the regular season
when Los Angeles must decide what team that
it wants to be. Does it want to be the team
that loses to other good teams and drops to
fifth place in the Pacific Division standings?
Or does it want to be the team that looked
almost unbeatable over a stretch of over 10
straight games in October?
While the Vegas Golden Knights may have
first place wrapped up in the division, the end
of the regular season is going to come down to
inter-division play for L.A. As of last weekend,
the Kings were in an absolute all-out brawl for
playoff positioning with their enemies from
Calgary, Anaheim and San Jose. On one hand,
that’s good news, because who doesn’t like to
watch two huge rivals stick it to each other on
the ice and drop some gloves while they’re at
it? On the other hand, the Kings’ recent record
against other teams in their division could spell
trouble for a team that’s looking for a boost
in points over the last month or so of play.
Los Angeles was horrible against all other
opponents from the Pacific Division last season
and not much has changed this year. As
of last weekend, the Kings were 7-9-3 within
their own division while putting up a very
respectable 21-10-2 record against the rest of
the league. Certainly, back-to-back games to
begin next week against the Golden Knights
don’t necessarily fail to put a nauseous feeling
inside of every Kings fan’s stomach. Things
won’t really begin to heat up, however, until
the end of March when Los Angeles gets to
show its stuff against the likes of Edmonton,
Calgary, Arizona and Anaheim in consecutive
games that will certainly prove to proclaim
the Kings’ postseason fate once and for all.
Help could be on its way too. If Jeff Carter
can return from a skate injury that has kept
him sidelined since the middle of October, the
Kings will almost certainly begin to look as good
as they ever have this season. Carter’s return
could prove to assist a team that continues to
struggle to score goals and ranks 21st out of
31 teams in the league in that category. His
reemergence has the ability to help the Kings
finally begin to put some pucks into the back
of the net. Also, head coach John Stevens must
ask himself the question of how much is too
much of Quick. The Kings goalie has looked
nothing short of lackluster since before the All-
Star break, while his backup Darcy Kuemper
has done a more than serviceable job.
It’s getting late in the season and it has
certainly become clear that the Los Angeles
Kings have a lot of work to do if they wish
to not only get into the playoffs, but get there
and succeed. That being said, Los Angeles has
always had a taste for suspense. Even in the
Stanley Cup years, the Kings seemingly enjoyed
keeping their fans hanging on to watch each
and every game intently. This year, it seems
that if the Kings want to enjoy more success
like in 2012 and 2014, they won’t just need
to make history in Buffalo. This Los Angeles
team needs to score more goals, defend the
net better and, most importantly, beat their
divisional rivals who always seem to inherently
have a thirst for the Kings’ throne.
– Aserrao6@yahoo.com •
City Council • School Board
Events Calendar • Local News
BE IN THE KNOW
Herald Publication is now offering
FREE digital delivery of any of
their community newspapers.
Be the first to know about
upcoming local events.
IT’S EASY
AND IT’S FREE!
Sign up at - http://bit.ly/2fMg4Eh
El Segundo Herald • Hawthorne Press Tribune
Lawndale Tribune • Torrance Tribune
ES Little League Celebrates
Opening Day
By Gregg McMullin
On a warm, sun-drenched morning, over
400 players and coaches representing the
64th edition of the El Segundo Little League
marched proudly down Main Street. The
weather couldn’t have cooperated more for
the smiling faces that make up 37 teams from
the Challenger Division to the Major Division.
These proud players, wearing their uniforms
for the first time, paraded down Main Street
in front of a throng of family, friends and
well-wishers. The El Segundo Little League
(ESLL) parade has been an annual event that
has been around for 60 years. Other communities
may have their own opening days,
but El Segundo’s is reminiscent and worthy
of a Norman Rockwell cover on a Saturday
Evening Post magazine.
The parade ended at Brett Field where a
large crowd of family and friends gathered to
greet the athletes. Also there were El Segundo’s
finest -- both police and fire department
personnel. The fire department displayed our
American flag proudly from their extended
rig. ESLL President Lance Giroux then started
the opening day ceremonies by introducing
Juliet Debates, who sang a heartwarming
rendition of the national anthem.
The Dodgers lead the way during the 64th annual El Segundo Little League parade.
To make a point on how quickly time
passes by for little leaguers and parents, Giroux
introduced 12-year-old Holden Coulter
and 6-year-old Scot Nicol. He compared the
two, noting how time goes by so quickly
and saying one day they are playing in the
Rookie Division and before you know it
they’re playing under the lights in the Majors.
Next up was Aiden Johnson, a Boy Scout
from El Segundo Troop 267. The aspiring
Eagle Scout was honored for his Eagle project
for which he made a new storage shed
for the Challenger Division. The Dodgers
sorely needed Johnson’s since the current
shed was falling apart. Aiden completed the
project thanks to donations from the community
including Ramey Roofing. Now the
only question is how to transport the nearly
500-pound structure to the field at Raytheon.
If you can help, please contact El Segundo
Little League.
What is opening day without the ceremonial
first pitch? It is often that an umpire throws
out the first pitch. This year, the umpire
honored wasn’t a typical one. John Ziello
has been umpiring for many years at the
little league and high school levels as well
as in recreation leagues. He does feel most
at home umpiring and scheduling for El
Segundo Little League because of the kids
and parents and how classy the community is.
Finally, Giroux reminded us of the passing
of a friend and coach. Nate Hobgood-Chittick
was a former NFL star who won a Super
Bowl with the St Louis Rams. He was also
an El Segundo Little League coach. Nate
was taken from his family, friends and the
community he called home at the tender
age of 42. While coaching, he embodied
the role of a mentor and role model and
helped the young players he coached with
his outlook. Giroux introduced the new Nate
Hobgood-Chittick Coach’s Award that will
highlight what Hobgood-Chittick stood for.
To be eligible, Giroux said the award will
honor the coach who is encouraging, positive,
respectful, has integrity and has the passion
to help not only players on his or her own
team, but also any other player who needs
guidance.
Yes, opening day was a success and games
will be playing out nearly each day throughout
the season. The Dodgers Challengers play
on Sundays at Raytheon while the Majors
and Triple-A play at Brett Field throughout
the week. The Double-A will play at Center
Street Elementary School while the Single-
A teams play at Arena High Stadium. The
Rookie Division plays its games at Center
Street. All schedules are subject to change.
Get out and support these young athletes.
Be there when they triumph and hold them
when they need a hug. Remember, this time
of their lives and yours go by so quickly. I
can remember my son’s first at-bat in his
first little league game when he hit a soft
toss pitch instead of off the tee. He hit it into
the outfield and promptly raced towards third
base before being redirected towards first
base. Yes, he reached base safely. It seems
like moments ago because now he’s playing
high school baseball, so enjoy the ride.
El Segundo Girls Softball
Opens Season
The El Segundo girls softball league kicks
off the season with opening day ceremonies
Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Recreation Park
field. The teams ranging from the 6U to
the 14U age division had a successful 2017
season in which the 14U all-star team went
37-4 and reached the Western States National
Championship game. The Nighthawks 10U
team won the coveted Beach Cup and overall
the league enjoyed success. This season, there
are a combined 19 teams that make up the
6U, 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U teams.
Eagles Advance in CIF Playoffs
The El Segundo Eagles advanced in the
CIF playoffs. The boys and girls soccer teams
moved to the second round with their victories.
The girls water polo team’s march through
the playoffs ended in the quarterfinals. The
boys basketball team made a gallant effort
to defeat its second-seeded opponent, but
came up short.
The boys soccer team scored three
consecutive goals in the second half and
defeated Pacifica 3-1 after the Mariners had
taken a 1-0 lead. The Eagles (11-7-3) faced
See Eagles, page 17
“I love hockey because of the respect
for history and for the game itself.”
– George Vecsey